LaSalle County, Illinois Genealogy

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Guide to LaSalle County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

LaSalle County, Illinois
Map
Map of Illinois highlighting LaSalle County
Location in the state of Illinois, United States Genealogy
Map of the U.S. highlighting Illinois
Location of Illinois in the U.S.
Facts
Founded: January 15, 1831
County Seat Ottawa
Courthouse
LaSalle County Courthouse.gif
Photo courtesy Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD), Illinois State Archives
Address LaSalle County Courthouse
707 Etna Road
Ottawa, IL 61350
815-434-8202
LaSalle County Website


County Organization[edit | edit source]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[1]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1877 1832 1877 1831 1831 1831 1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started 1916. General compliance by 1922.

County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for LaSalle County are kept, see the LaSalle County Courthouse page.

Historical Facts[edit | edit source]

Robert de la salle

LaSalle County was named for the french explorer, Robert de LaSalle. He was responsible for the first European settlements in the area.

Parent County[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for the early French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. The county seat is Ottawa and the county was organized on January 15, 1831. The County is located in the North central part of the state.[3]

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

For animated maps illustrating Illinois county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Illinois County Boundary Maps" (1790-1869) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.


Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places / Localities[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[4]

Cities
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Townships
Ghost towns


Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]

Records and Resources[edit | edit source]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of LaSalle, Illinois online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Illinois Cemeteries for more information

Census[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1840 9,348 —
1850 17,815 90.6%
1860 48,332 171.3%
1870 60,792 25.8%
1880 70,403 15.8%
1890 80,798 14.8%
1900 87,776 8.6%
1910 90,132 2.7%
1920 92,925 3.1%
1930 97,695 5.1%
1940 97,801 0.1%
1950 100,610 2.9%
1960 110,800 10.1%
1970 111,409 0.5%
1980 112,003 0.5%
1990 106,913 −4.5%
2000 111,509 4.3%
2010 113,924 2.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1840 Pensioners[edit | edit source]

  • A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C., 1841. FHL 973 X2pc 1840; FHL 2321; digital version at Google Books. [See Illinois, LaSalle County on page 187.]

Church History and Records[edit | edit source]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Church records may give birth, death and marriage information. It is usually best to locate church records with a search at a local level such as the city, town, or village.

Methodist

  • Little Indian Creek Wesleyan Methodist Church. Church Records & History, 1843-1877. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1994 from original manuscripts at the Northern Illinois Conference, United Methodist Church, Evanston, Illinois. The Little Indian Creek church was probably in northern La Salle County. Includes references to the Ophir Weslyan Methodist Church assumed to be in Ophir Township, La Salle County, Illinois. Includes church history, 1843–1875; baptisms, 1865-1868; members, 1855-1872; minutes, 1865-1876; and member-related records in loose papers, 1857-1877. FHL film 1928182 Item 7
  • La Salle Mission, Methodist Episcopal Church. Membership & Baptism Records, 1859-1878. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1994 from original manuscripts at the Northern Illinois Conference, United Methodist Church, Evanston, Illinois. Text in Swedish, Norwegian & English. Includes Leland, Mission Township, Otter Creek, Dayton, Norway, and the streams of Indian Creek and Otter Creek. Much earlier dates of birth are listed. FHL film 1928182 Item 3

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Original court records are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Court Records for more information about using court records.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at Northern Illinois University - search for LaSalle County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the NIU IRAD Wiki page.

Copies of original records

  • 1831-1870 Circuit Court Records IRAD-NIU; search for LaSalle County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
  • 1831–1923 Probate court records FHL film 1428676 (first of 54 films)
  • 1843-1875 Chancery Court Records IRAD-NIU; search for LaSalle County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
  • 1840-1900 Naturalization Records for both Circuit and County Courts IRAD-NIU; search for LaSalle County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
  • 1836-1963 County Court Records IRAD-NIU; search for LaSalle County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
  • 1859-1871 Chancery Court Records IRAD-NIU; search for LaSalle County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
  • 1913–1925 Judgement dockets FHL film 2217421(first of 2 films)

Ethnic Research[edit | edit source]

African American[edit | edit source]

The following have information concerning African American research.

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

History of La Salle County Illinois (1877)

The Past and Present of La Salle County, Illinois (1877)

History of La Salle County, Illinois, Vol. I (1886)

History of La Salle County, Illinois, Vol II (1886)

Biographical and Genealogical Record of La Salle County, Vol. I (1900)

Biographical and Genealogical Record of La Salle County Vol. II (1900)

History of La Salle County, Illinois (1906)

History of La Salle County Illinois (1924)

Land and Property[edit | edit source]

Original land records are held in the office of the County Clerk . See Illinois Land and Property for more information about using land records.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed online, through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at Northern Illinois University search for LaSalle County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD - Northern Illinois University NIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Resources

  • 1800s-Present - Use the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Patent Index to obtain original federal land transfer records including homestead, military warrants, and cash entry patents. These records help a research establish location and lead to National Archives' records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are housed at the National Archives.
  • Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)

Copies of original records

Abstracts

  • Family Maps of LaSalle County, Illinois (2008) plats the land of many nineteenth-century LaSalle County residents. The publisher's bookstore includes a free online surname index. FHL Book 977.327 E7b

Additional Resources

Additional resources for LaSalle County land and property may be found online in the FamilySearch Catalog and FamilySearch Catalog–maps. Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the WorldCat Online Catalog.

Maps[edit | edit source]

Lee CountyBureau CountyMarshall CountyWoodford CountyLivingston CountyGrundy CountyKendall CountyDeKalb CountyPutnam CountyIL LASALLE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Military[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Civil War service men from LaSalle County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of LaSalle County.

- 1st Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery, Battery C.
- 4th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company A (Grant's Escort), Company B (Carrnichael's Cavalry Company), and Company I.
- 6th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company B.
- 7th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company C (Morgan's Escort, Palmer's Escort, Smith's Escort).
- 10th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company F (Also known as Ottawa Artillery or Houghtaling's Battery)
- 11th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies H, I, and K.
- 11th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies H and K.
- 12th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
- 12th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company B.
- 14th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company C.
- 15th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company L (Ford's Cavalry, Grant's Escort).
- 20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
- 23rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D, F, and H.
- 24th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
- 26th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
- 37th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
- 39th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
- 44th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
- 53rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, F, I and K.
- 55th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies G and I.
- 57th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
- 58th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
- 64th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Yates’ Sharpshooters), Company A.
- 88th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
- 90th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
- 104th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, all Companies.
- 132nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company A.
- 138th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies I and K.
- 147th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C and H.
- 156th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.

Naturalization[edit | edit source]

Online Records

Newspapers and Obituaries[edit | edit source]

The La Salle County Genealogy Guild has online indexes to obituaries and holds original copies of early newspapers on microfilm.

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Records


Original estates and wills are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Probate Records for more information about using probate records.

  • The La Salle County Genealogy Guild has online indexes to Probate Records and holds the original probate files.
  • Digital images of guardianship and probate files (1844-1921) are available online at FamilySearch.org as part of the Illinois Probate Records, 1819-1970 collection.  Browse probate records by volume (organized by date).

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through, the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for LaSalle County records. For information on how to use IRAD see theNIU IRAD Wiki page.

Copies of original records

Additional Resources[edit | edit source]

Additional resources for LaSalle County probates may be found in the Illinois, Will – Probate topic page of the FamilySearch Catalog . Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the WorldCat Online Catalog.

Repositories[edit | edit source]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for LaSalle County are kept, see the LaSalle County Courthouse page.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Introduction to Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah (United States) and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy.

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

You may search your address for a center near you on the FamilySearch site. The following centers serve LaSalle County:

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)[edit | edit source]

The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD), managed by the Illinois State Archives, houses the archival records of local Illinois counties, townships, municipalities and school districts. The seven Regional Depositories are housed on state university campuses scattered throughout Illinois.

The Northern Illinois University (IRAD-NIU) holds the records for LaSalle County. Learn more about finding and using their records.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository
c/o Regional History Center
Founders Memorial Library, Room 400
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
Telephone: (815) 753-1807

Public Libraries[edit | edit source]

The following LaSalle County libraries have collections of particular interest to genealogists.

Lasalle Public Library
305 Marquette
Lasalle, IL 61301
Telephone:(815) 223-2341
Their Genealogy and Local History collection includes city directories, local and state histories, yearbooks, LaSalle newspapers, maps, and more.
Oglesby Public Library District
111 S. Woodland Ave.
Oglesby, Illinois 61348
Telephone: (815) 883-3619
The library has local history books.
Peru Public Library
1409 11Th St.
Peru, IL 61354
Telephone: (815) 223-0229
Their Local History and Genealogy collection includes yearbooks, city directories, maps, and books of local interest.
Reddick Public Library District
1010 Canal St.
Ottawa, IL 61350
Telephone: (815) 434-0509
Their Illinois Room offers photos and documents related to Ottawa and LaSalle County.
Robert W. Rowe Public Library District
120 E. Si Johnson Avenue
P.O. Box 358
Sheridan, IL 60551

Telephone: (815) 496-2031
The library is developing a local history collection of historical maps, obituaries, and other items.
Utica Public Library District
Mill & Grove Streets
Utica, IL 61373
Telephone: (815) 667-4509
Join with their history club to categorize photographs and memorabilia related to the Utica area.

LaSalle County Historical Society Museum Library[edit | edit source]

Staff-assisted research is available in their collections of military records and histories, biographies, and Illinois Michigan Canal books.

LaSalle County Historical Society Museum
Canal and Mill Streets
P.O. Box 278
Utica, IL 61373
Telephone: (815) 667-4861

Social Groups Online[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

La Salle County Genealogy Guild
115 West Glover Street
Ottawa, Illinois 61350
Telephone Number: 815-433-5261
Website

Hours: M, S 9am - 4pm Other days by Appointment

The LaSalle County Genealogy Genealogical Guild has posted online indexes to county marriages (by both bride and groom), death certificates, obituaries, probate records, and burials. Onsite they hold original probate files, microfilm of early newspapers, and many other resources.

Taxation[edit | edit source]

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

See Illinois Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Illinois. See also How to order Illinois Vital Records or order electronically online.


Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the LaSalle County Clerk while those recorded after 1916 are kept by the Illinois Department of Public Health with a copy to the County Clerk. Original marriage records are usually kept by the County Clerk from the establishment of the county to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online databases, the Family History Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for LaSalle County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Birth Records[edit | edit source]

Copies of Original Birth Records

Marriage Records[edit | edit source]

Online Resources

Death Records[edit | edit source]

Copies of original Death Records

Additional Resources[edit | edit source]

Additional resources for LaSalle County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the Illinois, LaSalle – Vital Records, and the Illinois, LaSalle – Vital Records - newspapers topic pages of the FamilySearch Catalog . Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the WorldCat Online Catalog.

Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Lake County, Illinois. Page 192-199 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 194-197.
  2. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002), 195. (FHL Collection Ref Book 973 D27e 2002). WorldCat entry.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "LaSalle County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaSalle_County,_Illinois 04/17/2017.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "LaSalle County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaSalle_County%2C_Illinois, accessed 20 March 2020.
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